


Weathering the Storm

by Liyyah



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 20:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13279485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liyyah/pseuds/Liyyah
Summary: When all flights are cancelled due to the upcoming storm in New York, Donna finds herself stuck at the airport. But suddenly the man who broke her heart is offering to let her stay at his place and even though Donna knows it’s a bad idea, she says yes.





	Weathering the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I got a prompt on tumblr to write about the upcoming bomb cyclone that’s about to hit nyc and well this is the result.

Donna stood in the middle of the airport, one hand clutching the handle of her suitcase and the other her phone.

Jessica had asked her to go to New York to meet with a potential client on her behalf. Donna had been flattered that out of everyone, the older woman had asked her. But she had been meeting with clients for years with Harvey and never failed to charm their pants off. Even though she didn’t go to law school, Donna Paulsen had a PhD in persuasion. Jessica was well aware of her talents.

However, with the upcoming bomb cyclone all flights had been cancelled. Donna had known about the approaching storm but she didn’t think she would have been affected. Apparently it was proceeding more quickly than anyone anticipated.

The city was already beginning to feel the effects but Donna had held on to that last shred of hope when she walked into the airport that maybe she would be able to make it back to Chicago.

That hope was quickly thrown out the window, eaten up by the winds that were steadily increasing.

She hadn’t wasted a moment in calling all of the hotels in the nearest vicinity, only to find out each time that they were fully booked. Rachel and Mike had flown out to Washington, where her friend had a cousin who invited her to spend the holidays and needing a break from wedding planning and work and well _everything_ she accepted. So she had phoned Louis after receiving the endless string of bad news only to find out that he wasn’t in the city either. He was at his sister’s and while Donna was happy that he was trying to have a better relationship with her, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of annoyance at the timing.

Hence there she was, out of options, watching the room filled with people wearing similar expressions as her.

It looked like they would all be forced to stay there for as long as the storm lasted.

 _Just her luck_.

Suddenly her phone started ringing and her heart stuttered as she stared at the name that appeared on the screen.

 _Harvey_.

She hadn’t spoken to him since she left.

But even before that their communication had been limited.

Donna kissed him and they fell apart.

They had fought afterwards, Harvey asking what the hell she was thinking and Donna fiercely replying _herself_ for the first time in over twelve years.

She had never seen such anger in his eyes as she did then, as he threw words at her that cut her to the core. But she had flung them back with equal fury and neither had been able to escape the battlefield unscathed.

He hadn’t been able to forgive her and when he and Paula broke up he blamed her for that too. In the weeks that followed she endured silence and bitter glares and clipped sentences only when absolutely necessary.

In the end, she couldn’t withstand the daily damage done to her heart.

Thus, she walked away.

Yet he was still _Harvey_ and she was _Donna_ and so she found herself answering even as her hand shook.

“Hello.”

It took every ounce of effort to keep her voice steady.

“Donna,” Harvey said, a hint of surprise in his tone, as if he didn’t know if she would pick up.

The mere sound of her name falling from his lips made her chest seize.

“Harvey,” was all she replied.

“Louis called me um...he said you were stuck at the airport and didn’t have anywhere to go?” he asked, unsure of himself.

At that moment Donna wanted nothing more than to strangle Louis Litt. The next time she saw him she certainly would.

“Yeah...” she said, trailing off awkwardly.

“You can stay at my place. If you want. I know the airport isn’t the most comfortable place and the storm’s going to be pretty bad so...”

Now _he_ was the one trailing off awkwardly.

With her phone pressed against her ear, Donna pondered over which choice would be less painful.

She was surprised that he even asked in the first place, considering that they weren’t exactly on the best terms.

Secluded in a house with the man who broke her heart was a recipe for disaster. But as Donna took in the disgruntled crowd, she made a decision.

“Okay,” she said.

“Great. Um do you need me to send Ray? Or I could come and pick-”

“It’s fine,” Donna quickly interrupted. “I’ll just take a cab I think there’s a few left.”

“Okay. Well I’ll see you soon.”

“Yeah. Bye.”

Hastily, she hung up, a part of her wondering what the hell she had just done.

But what else was there to do? Remain at the airport for god knows how long?

Harvey’s couldn’t be worse than that. At least she hoped so.

With millions of thoughts flying around her head, one doubt crashing into the next, Donna headed out. Luckily there _were_ still a couple of cabs outside and she got into the nearest one, giving the driver the address she memorized years ago.

Donna was a ball of nerves for the entire ride, her stomach in knots.

_She was going to see Harvey._

The thought hit her with full force as the realization completely sunk in. 

_Shit_.

She wanted to throw up. She wanted to open the door and jump out of the moving car.

But all she could do was sit quietly and let her anxiety eat her alive.

All too soon, they arrived at her destination.

Everything was a blur as she paid the driver and exited the cab. Even the freezing cold as she stepped outside was nothing compared to the inner turmoil she was experiencing.

As Donna found herself standing in front of his door, she took a deep breath, trying to appear as unaffected as possible before knocking.

_She was fine. Everything was fine._

But then Harvey opened the door and all of the air was knocked out of her system.

Despite the mess they had become, despite it all, he was _Harvey_.

He was the man she loved even now, as much as she hated to admit it to herself.

Time seemed to slow as they both stood there, drinking in the other.

_Donna wanted to drown in him._

Harvey blinked then, as if broken out of whatever spell had been cast before wordlessly inviting her in.

Donna walked inside, trying her best to keep her heart in check.

She was gripping the handle of her suitcase as if it was her lifeline, looking everywhere but at him.

“How are you?” he asked, shocking Donna by taking the first step.

“Good,” she answered, finally meeting his gaze.

The steel in his eyes from months ago had disappeared.

Donna couldn’t help but wonder what changed.

“How’s Chicago?”

“It’s nice actually. I like it better than I thought I would,” she said earnestly.

It would never be New York but Chicago had crept up on her and one day she might even be able to call it home with ease.

But not yet.

Besides, they said that home was where the heart was.

_Donna’s heart wasn’t in Chicago._

“And Jessica? How’s she doing?”

“Kicking ass every day.”

Harvey mouth quirked up in affection for his old mentor.

The sight tugged at every one of her heartstrings.

_She had missed that._

“Wouldn’t expect anything else. And I assume you’re kicking some ass of your own.”

“Did you expect anything else?” she asked, the barest of smiles on her own features.

“Never.”

He was starting at her softly, the way he _used to_ and Donna was falling apart.

“So I guess I’ll take the couch-” she began, needing to end the silence as she looked away again.

“No you can have the bed,” he cut her off. “I’ll sleep out here. It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. It’s no problem.”

“Okay well I’m going to change into something more comfortable,” she announced, turning around and heading to his bedroom before he could respond.

Donna tried to shut her brain off as she opened her suitcase and grabbed a thick hoodie and a pair of sweatpants. She tried to ignore the fact that she was in Harvey’s _bedroom_ as she stripped down to nothing. But after shrugging on the clothing she’d picked out, she just couldn’t do it anymore.

A sigh left her lips as she sat on his bed with her head in her hands.

_It was all too much._

Seeing him like this, being here, was familiar and yet it wasn’t.

He was so close and yet there was still this vast distance between them, from the walls they had both built around themselves.

They weren’t who they once were. But all Donna was reminded of was a time filled with shared drinks and laughter and easy remarks coated in something resembling love.

Every bone in her body was aching.

Rising, she decided that she would tell Harvey that she was tired and spend the rest of the evening in his room in order to avoid him as much as possible.

She didn’t even think about what it would be like to sleep in his bed and how much _that_ would screw her up.

Not yet.

Making her way out of his room, Donna found Harvey in the kitchen.

“You hungry?” he asked.

Before Donna could even open her mouth, her stomach loudly grumbled in reply.

Harvey’s eyebrows shot up and Donna just knew her cheeks were turning pink.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said amused.

“I haven’t eaten in hours,” she mumbled, walking over to the couch and plopping down.

Donna hadn’t even realized she was starving until he had asked.

It wasn’t long before he appeared in front of her, holding a plate in each hand. Donna accepted the one that was offered to her and instantly perked up at the sight of the pasta.

She suppressed a moan at her first mouthful.

_God this was good._

Donna had forgotten how well he could cook.

They both ate quietly side by side, neither of them speaking. Donna’s eyes idly drifted to the flurry of snow outside. Things were beginning to pick up.

All of a sudden she felt a surge of gratitude that she was _here_ , sitting on a nice couch eating a home cooked meal instead of stuck at the airport.

“Thank you,” she said, voicing her feelings out loud. “For letting me stay here.”

“It was the least I could do,” he told her. “After everything.”

 _Everything_.

The title of the story that was their ending.

All of the arguments and tears and resentment and pain comprised in one neat little word.

“I wanted...I wanted to try to fix things,” he said, his tone sincere.

A block of ice formed in her stomach.

“You can’t,” she whispered, staring at her food as her eyes already began to fill with tears.

“Why the hell not?” he inquired defensively.

Donna placed her plate on the coffee table in front of her because she wasn’t hungry anymore.

“I can’t do this Harvey,” was all she said as she got up and started heading to his bedroom.

But he was fast and before she knew it his fingers were gently wrapping themselves around her wrist.

“Donna wait. Talk to me. Please.”

A bitter laugh threatened to burst from her throat at the irony of it all.

“You’re the one that never wants to talk,” she bit out as she spun around.

Lighting flashed across his eyes.

“You’re the one that left!” he exclaimed angrily.

“How could I not?” she swiftly replied, her voice rising an octave to match his.

“No goodbye. Nothing. You just dropped a letter on my desk and I never saw you again,” he continued as if she hadn’t even spoken.

Donna could hear how hurt he was and it tore at her but she had been harboring anguish of her own for months.

“I couldn’t say goodbye! I was afraid that if I just saw you one more time I wouldn’t have been able to walk away. And I needed to walk away Harvey. I couldn’t stand one more day of you looking at me like if you hated me.”

Her voice cracked and through her blurred vision she noticed the guilt that settled on his features.

“I could never hate you Donna,” he said almost breathlessly.

“Well it sure as hell felt like it.”

Slowly, he reached out, tenderly cupping her face as he wiped some of her tears away. Donna’s heart was lodged in her throat as she stood frozen. One simple touch and she was already burning.

“I’m sorry,” he said lowly.

“You can’t fix this,” she repeated.

“Donna-”

“I want more than you can give me,” she interrupted before he could say anything else.

She took a step back and his hand fell from her cheek and something in her immediately protested at the loss of contact.

“I want _you_ ,” Harvey proclaimed.

Donna shattered, shaking her head at his declaration because she couldn’t do this.

“Harvey-” she began but this time he was the one to cut her off.

“I _do_ ,” he said with conviction as he took a step towards her. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you. And the things I said. You didn’t deserve any of that and I don’t even deserve your forgiveness.”

Her eyes welled up because she _did_ forgive him. She made that decision a long time ago.

“I was angry at _myself_ ,” he added. “I blamed _myself_. You kissed me and I didn’t stop you. I didn’t do anything. I kissed back Donna. I enjoyed it and at that moment you were the only thing that I knew. The person that I was in a relationship with didn’t even cross my mind. And I...how does that make me any better than _her_?”

His eyes were glassy and Donna wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and pull him into the safety of her heart.

Right then he was nothing more than the lost boy who had been betrayed by his mother.

“You know it’s more complicated than that,” she said.

“I know that now,” he sighed. “I’m still trying to come to terms with all of it.”

Donna nodded, fully aware of his millions of demons that all resembled Lily Specter.

“When you left I came after you. But I was too late. Your plane had already left.”

Donna blinked in surprised. She had no idea.

All this time she believed that he just let her go. That he didn’t even try.

“And I was ready to buy a ticket myself and follow you all the way to Chicago but then I thought that maybe you’d be better off without me. I thought that you could be happy.”

 _I’m happiest with you_ she wanted to say but the sentence wouldn’t form.

“But God Donna I’m a selfish asshole and I can’t live without you. I’ve been miserable since you’ve been gone. I love you.”

“Love me how?” she croaked out, echoing a question from centuries ago.

Harvey moved even closer and the air between them grew thick with tension. Donna’s heart was thunder as she waited for an answer.

“More than anything in the world. I love you in a way that I’ve never loved anyone else before. In a way that makes me want to spend the rest of my life with you. Donna I want _everything_. You’re it for me. You’ve always been it for me. I’m just sorry it took me so long to accept it. I was afraid of screwing up and losing you. But in the end I lost you anyway.”

“You didn’t,” she managed to say, her gaze locked on his as the world faded away around them.

In one fell swoop their lips were crashing against each other, their souls colliding. Donna threw her arms around his neck and his were on her waist, holding her as close as possible. Her eyes fluttered shut as she disappeared within him, completely lost in the man she loved. For the first time in months, Donna was able to breathe again.

Harvey’s mouth moved against hers in desperation as he attempted to convey every emotion he felt for her. Donna matched his rhythm as she let him know that _she knew._ That she felt everything for him too.

As the storm raged outside, Donna and Harvey were electrified. The entire universe fell at their feet. They were the king and the queen of the moment because every single second ever spent had been leading up to this. This was the reason the earth had been created.

All of their walls came tumbling down.

Far too soon, they pulled away, eyes sparkling like champagne.

Donna was drunk on him.

Harvey leaned his forehead against hers and their breaths mingled as they tried to believe that this was really happening because it seemed too good to be true.

“Are you sure?” Donna couldn’t help but ask.

_Do you really want all of this?_

Sadness briefly flashed across his face because he knew he was the reason for all of her doubts.

“Of course,” he said, as if he had never been this sure of anything else.

“Good,” Donna replied, smiling. “Because I love you too.”

He let out a breath at her words as his eyes filled up, looking as if he had never heard anything so beautiful.

As if he couldn’t fully understand how he deserved such a thing.

Rising on her toes, Donna gently kissed him again. She moved her mouth languidly against his, letting him know that they had all the time in the world.

This was a kiss filled with promise.

“I guess we’ll both be taking the bed tonight,” she said when she pulled away again.

A laugh escaped him as he nodded, staring at her as if she was more precious than gold and just like that she was reduced to nothing.

Taking that as his cue, Harvey led her towards his room where they immediately collapsed on his bed, a messy heap of giggles and adoration.

Donna’s veins were filled with sunshine as they continued to lose themselves in the other. New York City was a village of ice but wrapped up in Harvey, she had never experienced such warmth.

 _In his arms she found home again_.

Eventually, she began drifting off to the beating of Harvey’s heart and Donna knew that the moon could fall from the sky and she wouldn’t have cared. Nothing else mattered but them.

_They were everything._

**Author's Note:**

> This turned out longer that I expected. But anyway thanks for reading!


End file.
